Inflatable and collapsible boat



June 5, 1928.

F'. SCHEIBERT INFLATABLE AND GOLLAPSIBLE BOAT inventor.

Fiiled March 11, 1926 Patented June 5, 1928.

UNITED STATES FRIEDRICH SCHEIBERT. OF LUBBEN. GERMANY.

INFLATABLE AND COLLAISIBLE BOAT.

Application filed March 11, 1926.

My invention relates to improven'ients in an inflatable and colla sible boat provided with a tube which is intlhted with air for the purpose of keeping the boat afloat, whereas the tube and the bottom connected therewith are capable to be folded, if the air is allowed to escape out of the tube.

The bottom in the boats of the type known is arranged approximately in the symmetrical plane of or distant from the lowermost exterior edges and attached to the inner faces of the tube provided forming ascending how and stern portions at the boat ends. By these arrangements the bottom tends to turn the tube around its axis and produces such a torsion-effect that the form of the boat is changed. Further, it is necessary to diminish the effect of the bottom-load tending to tear the bottom from the tube.

In the boat according to the present inveir tion, the said inconveniences are obviated. These objects are attained by the attachment of the bottom to the lowermost exterior edges of the middle tube-parts and to the frontal, exterior edges of the ascending stern and bow-portions forming ogival arches. In this novel structure the ascending bottomportions form frontal walls of the ogival stern and b0w-portions oi the tube and constitute a breakwater reflecting and turning the waves aside. The attachment of the bottom ends to the upwardly inclined exterior edges of the ascending tube-portions ogivally shaped forms also an effective means for counteracting the injurious torsional moment of the tube.

One form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a vertical section of the entire boat; Fig. 2 a plan View of the boat; Fig. 3 a front al view of the boat; and Fig. 4 a diagram matie frontal view seen in the direction ot the arrow I of Fig. 1 and illustrating the statical action of the end-parts of the boat.

An endless pneumatic tube or tubular hull 1 having an airinlet 2 and a. bottom 3 secured to the tube 1 constitute the inflatable boat. The air-inlet 2 is provided with an air valve to permit the inflation of the tube with air by means of a bellows. The tube 1 comprises horizontal middle portions and connecting end-portions 4 relatively upwardly inclined to form a relatively ascending stern and how. The bottom 3 consists of waterproof-fabric enclosing preferably a plurality of wooden battens 5 and is attached to the Serial No. 93.868.

lowermost exterior edges of the middle portions and to the frontal exterior edges 6 of the ogivally shaped end-portions of the tube 1.

As clearly shown in the drawing, the tubular air-hull having substantially horizontal :niddleportions and connecting ogivally shaped and upwardly inclined end-portions is secured at its Frontal exterior edges 6 to the inclined end-portions ot' the bottom which connect tangentially the inclined halves of the endportions of said tubular bull to form frontal walls of the boat. These frontal bottom-parts 7 have the particular function to parry the race of the water moving against the boat and to cause the water to tlow aside. The novel attachment imparts i'urther a great stability and a maximum of buoyancy and eliminates the fatal tendency oi known boat-types to submerge with their bow-portions, it the boat will be tugged on the water or anchored in a torrent.

According to the novel COHfOIUHLtiOI] of the bottom, the end-parts 7 of the latter in volvc the capacity to support better the load tending to tear the bottom from the tube 1. This force P (Figs. 1 and 4) is no more directed across the bottom-ends. but only along the exterior edges 6 of the ogival tubearches 4 upwardly inclined. Therefore, the tube members forming ogival arches are better enabled to counteract this stress I of the bottom by means of the air-column extending within the tubeportions in the same inclined direction as the bottom-parts 7.

The. force P is equivalent to the totality of the specific forces 7) loading the exterior edges 6 of the hull, as shown in Fig. 4. On each half of one ogival hullarch 4 acts the force I". It will he understood that this force P will be counter-balanced by means of a force K resulting from the pres sure of the aircolunm enclosed in said half of the hull-arch. This pressure tends to stretch the bottourparts 7 upwardly in the direction of the arrows K and transversally in the direction of the arrows Z shown in Fig. 4. Therefore, the novel arrangement realizes strictly the demands of a statical structure corresponding with the rules of statics. from which results a maximum of stiffness and the greatest carrying capacity of the entire boat,

Having now described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to have protected by Letters Patent, is:

1. An inflatable and Collapsible boat strue ture of the character setv forth, comprising a tuhular air hull fastened upon the topside of a flexible bottom having upwardly ln-- 6 elinerl etern and how portions forming frontal hoat-Walle at the upwardly lnelined ogivally shaped stern and how portions of said hull.

2. An inflatable am'l (ollnpeihle hoot Sllllk" 10 ture of the ehnrneter set forth, eo'i'nprising a tubular air-hull presenting horizontal mi ldle portions connected by means of oglvally Shaped and upwardly inclined end-portions; and a collapsible hottom secured to the lowern'lost edges of sold ll'lltlfllfi hulLportions and to the frontal exterior edges of S'rlld or-menrling ogivally Shaped hull-portions to form trontul twat-Walls: vonneeiing: tqngen- :lalljv the llllfllllPtl halves ot su'ul uscm'u'ling lmll-pm'tions.

ln teetimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

FR llfl DR 1 CH SUHE 'LBERT. 

